The smoke was thickest here, rushing up my legs as if I were splashing through water. I wasn't slowed down by it at all. I could keep up a steady sprint through it without extra exertion. What I didn't understand was how that creature walked faster than I could run.
The steps behind me faded. They shouted, but their voices faded as well.
I nearly slammed into a far wall as I skidded around another corner. I stopped briefly to look over my shoulder. I could see the flashlights from the others still running to catch up to me. The creature was down at the other end of the hall, a cloak flapping behind it.
The smoke rippled from up ahead. A breathy snarl from just out of sight. It was much closer than I liked. I ran a short distance before shoving the stock of my rifle into my shoulder. I followed the ripples back to the source.
A small entryway, about five feet long, led to two doors, one of which was open. The tiniest, budding flower sat upon the ground, covering what would have been a face. It was sobbing, trying to hide.
"Hey, hey it's alright." I whispered. I lowered the end of the rifle as I approached her.
She looked up to me just as another snarl came from the darkness. I needed to get her away from the dark. I reached out to snatch her up, only to glimpse metal in my headlamp.
My head jarred to the side. Hit the wall. Dazed, I rolled backwards. Picked up my weapon and fired.
The blue light from the rifle showed off twisted teeth, dripping with spit. Long, sickle shaped claws reached towards me, that foul smelling mouth getting too close for comfort.
The round struck it in the nose, making it recoil only for a second. My headlamp flashed, before turning off. Through the ringing of my ears, I could hear air rushing out of a small opening somewhere around my head. The round hit the ceiling, then struck the floor back into the hall. My rifle was yanked out of my grasp, the strap that kept it to my frame snapped.
My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. The air leaking from my suit took the air from my lungs, or maybe I was just holding my breath. That creature was right there in front of me. I couldn't see it, but I felt its presence. Its form hovering over me while it checked me out.
Thump. Thump.
"Jackal!" Reaper screamed.
Thump. Thump.
I heard metal streak across metal; the sound of nails down a chalkboard. A yelp. A growl. Thuds. Something hit my leg. Then stepped on it. I cried out, feeling the bone giving way under the weight. Then the pressure was gone. I twisted on the floor and reached for the rifle. I used it to get me up off the floor, only to be struck back down and into the hall.
When I got the rifle up to see what in the hell was even happening, the fight was over. The creature I had been following stood over me, facing the doors. Long talons for fingers dripping with pearlescent blackness.
I froze.
It was like staring into an abyss. The embodiment of hell, if such a thing existed. I had no idea what I was looking at. A mangled mess of flesh and machine. Whatever attacked me was indiscernible. I had no idea what it was, only that I was glad it was dead. Though it looked like it could jump back to life at any second.
The creature kicked the body into the other room, then turned to me. I instinctively lowered the rifle. I had not felt this way in almost five years. Not since the war. I was defeated, trembling worse than an old man with Parkinson's. I looked down at myself. In part because I thought I may have lost control of my bladder, and it felt wrong to look at that thing. Like I'd go crazy if I kept staring, or it would tear me to shreds.
Soft thumps made me look up. The creature had the little fleebeeron by the ankle, high off the ground. She was kicking and throwing fists. I felt powerless to do anything to help.
"Stop." I choked out.
It paid me no mind. It stepped over me and headed down the hall.
"Stop!" I repeated.
"Jackal! Jackal!" Reaper dropped to his knees next to me. He grabbed me, yanked his helmet off.
He looked me dead in the eyes and I knew exactly what he was thinking. I had not seen that look in those blue eyes since our last stand in the war. When we were both injured, cornered, and surrounded by eldiravan thirsty for our blood. We thought we were going to die. We had been fighting for days. We were out of ammunition and we were too weak to keep fighting.
He grabbed my helmet, turned my head around to inspect the damage.
"What the hell were you thinking?"
He sighed then with relief.
That actually made me relax.
"Shut the fuck up and get your helmet on." I pushed my fist into his shoulder.
He stared at me for a few seconds more, before sliding his helmet over his head.
He helped me up to my feet and pushed my rifle into my chest.
"I see you drop it again and I'll superglue it to your hands."
I grinned, even though he couldn't see it.
"Damn, LT!" Ruby looked at me. "You got fucked up."
"That thing picked up a kid. Went that way." I pointed with my rifle.
"A kid? Out here?" Reaper was surprised.
"Must've been hiding."
"Why would it take it? Why not just kill it like everything else?" Sparrow piped up.
I stared into the other room. Why would it hide that body? "Maybe to lure us?"
"Well, it's working whatever its plan. Let's go before it gets hungry." Reaper started down the hall.
The others started moving, but I stared into the darkness of that room.
"Hey!" Reaper called. "Move your ass! You're leaking oxygen."
I jogged to catch up, or more like limped. A burning sensation rushed up my leg with any weight. I had to bite my lip just to keep from crying out. I was sure one of those things stepped on me. Reaper stuck close to me now at the lead right within his reach. Probably to stop me from running off again.
The creature did not make it far. We could catch up in minutes to its leisurely pace. It still carried the little fleebeeron like a freshly caught rabbit. She continued flailing about, but the creature paid her no mind.
It stopped ahead of us. Turned as a door gave way to a bright light. A quick glance to my HUD showed we made it to the bridge, and that creature was there first.
Birds squawked. The fleebeeron was let go of and rushed into the room. We hauled ass to the creature, ready to shoot if it dared to enter.
It turned to face us and stood like a statue. Not a sound from it. We stopped. The creature looked into the room.
The sight of it didn't disgust me, but it was one ugly thing. A skull similar to a wolf's with teeth so large and haphazardly grown in, the creature couldn't possibly close its mouth completely. Most of its body was shrouded in shadows by a thick, furry cloak that was wrapped tight around its collar. The red lights that dotted its body breathed upwards calmly.
"Is that a dog?" Sparrow asked.
"I think it's a wolf. Too big to be a dog." Ruby corrected her.
"What? It's neither. It's a person." I shook my head.
When I looked at the creature again, I saw what they did. A giant, black wolf with a cloak of shadows.
I blinked a few times as if it would clear my vision, but it remained a wolf.
No one approached it. They were too scared to. Fuck, I was too scared! I had no idea what I was looking at. A wolf, or some sort of alien creature? Its form changed whenever I blinked.
It rolled its shoulders, rustling its cloak. It looked at us, or rather into our souls. An unwavering gaze that pierced through my body. For a second, I thought there truly was another plane beyond this physical one we inhabited. I could hear a call somewhere in the back of my mind. A call to approach. Something tugged my body forward. My soul wanted to go, but my body was frozen in place.
I couldn't take my eyes off it, no matter how wrong it felt.
I let the tug take control. My body moved on its own, towards that monstrous creature. I swallowed hard. Hoped my faith would not lead me to my death.
When I was
well within the wolf's reach, its head turned to the room. It reeked of death. I looked inside.
Six people, including the child. Four fleebeeron, two humans. They were shocked, staring at me.
"It's safe." I called. "Everything's gonna be okay." It didn't sound like me.
Reaper joined me. Eyed the foul creature, then stepped into the room. The others joined us. The creature, however, stayed in the doorway.
"Oh, thank goodness!" A beautiful cockatoo squawked. The blossoming flower the bird perched upon jumped up in glee. "Our saviors have finally arrived! We tried to signal you when we saw your ship. We are so happy to see you!"
Reaper removed his helmet, held it against his hip. "The feeling is mutual. You're safe now, ma'am. We have room for everyone on the Syndicate."
"The Syndicate?" The other two birds squawked to one another.
"Oh, my, you're the famous Captain Arturo Phillips! How lucky we are!"
I took my helmet off to preserve the oxygen I had left in my tank. The survivors were in suits, but no helmets themselves. I watched the petals of the fleebeeron with the cockatoo. Beautiful rosy pink petals that stretched out far and wide with ruffled edges. Long pollen stems stretched from the middle of the five petals, though they were without any pollen, a female of the species.
Fleebeeron were small and frail. They were walking flowers with stems that branched out for legs and arms. They had the impression of a face, but only had eyes. No ears, noses, or mouths. That was why they all had birds. The birds communicated for them.
"What were you doing way out here?" Reaper asked.
The creature from the door approached. My eyes were drawn to it. It seemed to stare back at me.
"I am Fauriei, captain of this vessel. We were traveling on our normal migration route. We made a stop to pick up new nomads and met Fenris.” She gestured to the creature. “He needed a new destination for his mission. We were headed near, so we allowed him to board. When we got within the system…” She lowered her head.
The bird squawked and flapped its wings wildly.
“We are sorry we do not remember exactly what happened. We remember being escorted to the bridge in the middle of the night.” A soft sigh. “There were many more of us. Fenris could only do so much. We expected more, and that was wrong of us.” She and the bird both looked up to the creature.
The creature, Fenris, cocked its head to the side.
“What do you mean?” Reaper raised a brow. “How long have you been here?”
“We relied solely on Fenris in the disaster. Those monsters were held at bay by Fenris for weeks!”
“So, it was protecting you?”
“Yes, of course! Were it not for him, you would have found no one, but!”
“Were you leading us?” I asked the creature who was now a wolf sitting in front of me.
Silence.
“Can it speak?”
“Well…” The bird’s head lowered. “We do not know.”
“Then how can you understand it?”
“Oh, we cannot understand it as clearly as we do you, however you can trust in the pheromones one releases.”
I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“So, it smells trustworthy to you?” Reaper questioned. “You let it aboard and you do not suspect it at all?”
“Fenris would not harm any of us. We are no threat to him. Nor are you. He may be off-putting, but he cannot help that.”
The creature grumbled. I felt my chest vibrate.
“We must leave this ship.” The cockatoo spoke quieter. “We will not be safe for much longer.”
Reaper and I both looked to Fenris, who was now staring at the door.
“What are they?” I asked.
Fauriei shrugged. “We do not know. Fenris does. He can sense them.”
The creature moved to the door. I watched its jaws spread apart, then snap back together. The sound that came from it was deep and hollow. It resonated through the ship. Rattled my bones. I found myself completely still, like a statue, staring at that wolf. “Off-putting” was over simplifying it. Fenris carried a great cloud of dread. Yet when it, or he, moved out of sight, I followed as if I were on a leash.
I fit my helmet on over my head. The air spat out of the hole just above my visor. I checked on my HUD for my oxygen reserves. Might not be enough to make it back to the shuttle.
The temperature plummeted. It was much colder than when we got here. A strong breeze rushed around me. Fenris seemed unphased.
We could hear the creatures stalking us through the walls. Thumps and clacks came from out of sight. Fenris led us in a new direction, perhaps to confuse the creatures. While we walked, I watched this seemingly friendly being. How would it have known we were here for the survivors and not pirates hoping to score lucky? Did it guide us to the bridge, or try to deter us? The more I watched it and thought about it, the less the weight of its presence seemed to exist. I found myself trusting this stranger and the otherworldly sense it had.
NINE
Fenris had taken them down a completely different path compared to how they got to the bridge. It must have been a safer path. Fenris had wandered the ship for days. It knew the layout better than anyone else. The gas hung in the air, barely knee high, but no more rolled down the creature's back.
Reaper leaned towards Jackal to whisper.
"How's your oxygen?"
Jackal took a second to answer.
"I'll make it."
Reaper knew when Jackal was lying. While he may not have known just how much was left in his tank, he knew it would be trouble soon. Luckily, Fenris had a good pace. Just fast enough to make good time, but not so fast the smallest of the group was left behind.
The survivors gasped and covered their faces at the sight of what they had to walk through.
Bodies were piled against the walls. Mangled up by what could only be determined as meat grinders, or metal crushers.
"We see why Fenris kept us in the bridge." Fauriei's cockatoo squawked.
"I am sorry you have to see this." Reaper put a hand on her shoulder.
"No. We are sorry we could not have done better protecting them."
"Don't blame yourself, miss."
Something slammed into the wall from the other side. Fauriei jumped into Reaper's arms.
Fenris had not stopped moving. If it hadn't then the threat was not immediate. Fauriei straightened herself and elegantly stepped past Reaper. She kept her chin up, back straight. As captain, she had to remain noble, independent, and unafraid. If she showed just how scared she truly was, then her people would fall into chaos.
Fenris pried open a door and held it open while everyone slipped under its arm. The next room was nearly as large as the ecosphere. A stray light here and there spaced far apart on opposite sides. Their steps echoed endlessly. One white light shined on a walkway that stretched across the center of the room. Down below, two lights lit up an enormous turbine barely spinning by a loose gear or stray breeze. It was about a hundred feet below. A second fan above them was completely still, the same distance away. The only lights they had for their walk across were that of the flashlights and headlamps.
"Whatever you do, don't look down." Ruby whistled.
"I'm sure it's the least of our worries." Sparrow nudged him with her elbow.
Fenris was first to step forward. One foot on the grating and the entire path creaked and twisted. Everyone else hesitated. How much did that thing weigh?
After a few unnerving steps, Fenris turned around. Its head tilted to one side. It did not understand why no one followed it.
Jackal swallowed the fear of the path falling out under their feet and moved forward. The others soon followed once they saw Jackal was just fine.
They had not even made it to the central shaft when someone spotted movement in one light below. The hair around Fenris' collar stood straight up.
The sound of the creatures' movement echoed from all directions. In the darkness it was im
possible to tell where they were, or even how many of them.
"They're climbing the walls!" Someone shouted.
"Close the ranks!" Reaper ordered.
The Syndicate team bunched the unarmed together in the middle. Three at the back, two at the front with Fenris. It forced them into a single file because of the width of their path. Hisses came from the darkness. The creatures nearing.
Talons wrapped over the edge of the grating, moving bit by bit to follow those above. When the time was right and the light shined towards a wall, the talons struck.
It snatched the ankle of a fleebeeron who was carrying the child. Both hit the ground and were dragged beyond the safety railing. The birds squawked, one took flight in hope it would be safer in the air.
Sparrow grabbed hold of the flowers, nearly shoving the child off the other side in the process. She might as well have not even tried. The creature took the fleebeeron right out of her hands without any effort at all. Sparrow shouted and went under the railing for one more attempt, but they were gone. The scream of the fleebeeron faded into the darkness almost as quickly as it started.
Ruby pulled her back up to her feet and held her close.
"We must hurry!" Fauriei shouted.
"What the hell are these things?!" Sparrow reached for the child.
"Fenris!" The bird shrieked.
The noises got louder. Monsters surrounding them in the shadows, prepping for the onslaught. These creatures knew their chosen victims could not harm them. The only threat to them was Fenris, who was busy herding the weaklings to the exit. As long as they stayed out of its reach, they could do anything they wanted. They teased with the idea of a painful death. They relished in the fear. When one showed its face in the light of a rifle, it took a metal ball to the head. It stayed in place, showing off vicious teeth and foul breath. Not even a scratch. Not even a flinch.
The grating creaked under extra weight. It twisted on its support beams, threatening to snap and drop them all to their deaths below.
"Something's behind us!" Mjolnir called.
"There's something everywhere!" Ruby answered.
When they made it to the central shaft, Fenris walked around it to loop to the rear of the line. It waited until they all continued towards the door. Reaper lead them the rest of the way, sprinting across to the console.
The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) Page 6